Dodge reaps NAIA honor

Raider quarterback chosen national offensive player of the week after huge half

After being named Frontier Conference offensive player of the week earlier in the day, Southern Oregon sophomore quarterback Austin Dodge added another honor to his list: national offensive player of the week.

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Posted Oct. 9, 2012 at 12:10 AM

Posted Oct. 9, 2012 at 12:10 AM

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After being named Frontier Conference offensive player of the week earlier in the day, Southern Oregon sophomore quarterback Austin Dodge added another honor to his list: national offensive player of the week.

The acclaim for Dodge came in the wake of the Southern Oregon's 68-22 dismantling of then-No. 22 Eastern Oregon on Saturday at Raider Stadium.

Dodge led the Raiders to a 51-7 halftime lead over the Mountaineers on the strength of 468 passing yards and five touchdowns, completing 23 of 30 pass attempts in the opening 30 minutes.

With SOU holding a 44-point lead, Dodge took a seat on the sideline following halftime to settle for first-half numbers that would put most full-game numbers to shame.

His 468 passing yards gave him the fourth-highest single-game total in SOU history as he helped the SOU offense surpass 700 yards for the first time in team history.

Through five games this season, he boasts 1,922 yards of total offense and 1,860 passing yards and leads the NAIA in passing yards per game (372) and total offense per game (384.4).

He is also completing exactly two-thirds of his pass attempts (140-of-210), and his 17 touchdown throws this season are fifth most in SOU history.

Dodge becomes the ninth Southern Oregon player to be named NAIA player of the week and the first since kicker Corey O'Neill received the special teams honor on Oct. 10, 2008.

In addition to Dodge's conference honor, linebacker Marquice O'Leary of the Raiders earned the defensive award.

O'Leary tallied seven total tackles and an interception in the Raiders' win.

Southern Oregon picked up 18 points in this week's NAIA national poll and sits one spot outside the Top 25.

The Raiders will look to build on their 3-2 record Saturday, when they visit Havre, Mont., for a conference showdown with Montana State-Northern.